This is part of a systematic effort to intimidate high-profile female officials. Just a few months ago, Sediqi’s predecessor died in a car bomb attack attributed to the Taliban. Sediqi had repeatedly requested police protection but to no avail. “There is only one reason behind killing women: to prevent women from working in the government,” explains a local representative.

Today, the UN released a report on the state of Afghan women’s rights. It found the country still has a long way to go in implementing the groundbreaking 2009 Law on Elimination of Violence against Women–which criminalized child marriage, selling and buying women to settle disputes, rape, and other abuses. While the law is increasingly being applied, violence against women is still vastly underreported–and most incidents aren’t fully investigated.

Atlanta, GA

Maya Dusenbery is an Executive Director in charge of Editorial at Feministing. Maya has previously worked at NARAL Pro-Choice New York and the National Institute for Reproductive Health and was a fellow at Mother Jones magazine. She graduated with a B.A. from Carleton College in 2008. A Minnesota native, she currently lives, writes, edits, and bakes bread in Atlanta, Georgia.

Maya Dusenbery is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Editorial.

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